Flashpoint I: The Esseles
by NedeserThul
Summary: After finally getting off Ord Mantell, Soldier Dren Antilles and Smuggler Moira Denic run into each other on the star liner Esseles and strike it up right away. The unexpected happens and they are called to help two young Jedi save the ship from the threat of a brutal Imperial Moff.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning: Contains Mature Content of the Lemon Variety. The section is labeled so those who want to can skip ahead. You have been warned.**

Lieutenant Dren Antilles looked around at the beautiful interior of the star liner _Esseles_ as he entered through the boarding hatch. He was about to just walk towards where his quarters were when his executive officer Sergeant Aric Jorgan grabbed his arm. The Cathar, a male who was frowning perpetually, said, "Excuse me, Sir but their not going to just allow us to bring our weapons on board. We have to check them in over there."

Dren frowned and looked in the direction his squad mate was pointing. Shrugging, he headed to the back of the line. He was a big man and not terrible looking – muscular and dark haired with glinting green eyes. He also had a collection of scars that always fascinated the people he met. As he strode up to her, the young space marine in charge of checking in weapons, gave him a non-so subtle once over. Dren smiled roguishly at her and said, "Afternoon, Corporal. I don't suppose I can sweet talk you into letting a couple of Army boys fresh from Ord Mantell keep their hold-out blasters, can I?"

The corporal smiled and said, "I'm afraid not, Lieutenant. We have to take weapons from everyone – whether they're military or civilian unless they're on duty of course. Are you on duty, Lieutenant?"

Dren sighed in mock sadness and said, "No I'm not, corporal. Let me set this baby down and then I'll sign the paperwork."

The corporal smiled just a little seductively and said, "Well maybe we can talk blasters when I get off duty tonight, Lieutenant. You look way to good in that uniform to completely disappoint, you know."

Dren smiled and said, "Well thank you, Corporal. I may just take you up on that, Corporal."

The corporal scanned the bag and her datapad generated a hand receipt which she and Dren signed. Jorgan followed his example and they turned to head towards their cabins when Dren saw something out of the corner of his eyes – or rather, saw someone. A beautiful human female was standing in line to turn in weapons. She had dark brown hair and hazel eyes. On top of that, she wore dark green synth leather pants, a black leather jacket and black boots. Under the jacket she wore an off-white button down blouse that she had left tied about eight inches above her blaster belt, leaving a band of toned bare skin for everyone to see. Jorgan growled, "Sir, keep your head on straight and come on. Let's get changed out of these uniforms. I'm beginning to itch."

It was a little late for that though; the woman had noticed Dren staring and gave a knowing smile and a sultry wink before motioning him over. The lieutenant smiled and said, "I'll catch up with you later, Jorgan. Don't wait for me."

Despite another round of protests from Jorgan, Dren marched boldly on up and asked, "Is there something I can do for you, Miss?"

He hadn't noticed the tall, muscular man behind her until that moment and he only noticed him because of his odd hairstyle and the glare he kept shooting at Dren. The woman's smile grew and she said, "Oh stars, I sure hope so. You make that uniform look incredible, Soldier Boy. What's your name?"

Dren took her proffered hand and said, "Lieutenant Dren Antilles, Republic Army, and who might you be?"

"Captain Moira Denic. I'm a, uh, private cargo hauler who is looking for her ship. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant. This is my friend, Corso Riggs."

Dren and Corso sized each other up. Dren was a little shorter but broader. When they shook hands, Moira had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing as they both smiled tightly and had one of those ridiculous masculine hand crushing matches. Without even the hint of strain, Dren said, "A pleasure to meet you, Mister Riggs."

The man smiled back and said evenly, "Pleasure's all mine, Lieutenant. Thank ya for yer service. It must be tough."

After a moment, Captain Denic cleared her throat and the two men let go of each other's hands. They were nearly to the front of the line and Moira pulled out a pair of older but expertly maintained blaster pistols. Riggs pulled a blaster rifle and blaster pistol out. Denic winked suggestively at Dren. "I'll be seeing you later, Soldier Boy. You have to tell me about those scars of yours."

Dren smiled and said, "Oh that would be my pleasure."

As the tall soldier walked away, Captain Moira Denic watched him, admiring his assets through the perfect tailoring of his Army dress gray uniform. Turning forward, she found herself facing a frowning space marine. "Are those two blasters your only weapons, ma'am?"

Moira smiled and said, "Nope, hold on."

She pulled a small but powerful hold-out blaster from one of her boots and then, after the corporal had scanned her weapons, she went in and set the weapons down. Corso Riggs came in behind her and said, "I don't think that corporal likes you too much, Cap'n."

Moira's eyes widened. "Why not? I just met her!"

Corso shrugged as he set his blaster rifle, blaster pistol, harpoon launching gauntlet, over-sized vibro blade and hold-out blaster on the shelf next to Moira's weapons. They exited and signed the receipts on the datapad. That done, they headed towards their quarters.

As soon as he had entered, Dren found himself facing a glowering Sergeant Jorgan. "Permission to speak freely, Lieutenant?" asked the Cathar tightly. Dren sighed and shut the door. "Let a rip, Sergeant."

That seemed to take the wind out of Jorgan's sails. After a moment, he said, "Sir, even on this star liner, we represent the Galactic Republic's Army. With civilians and members of other branches, we have to be the epitome of professionalism. Flirting with a space marine and a civilian is definitely not that."

Dren nodded and, as soon as Jorgan had finished speaking, began to change into civilian attire – wearing denim pants, a short sleeved shirt with the Republic Army insignia on it and a gray and blue flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up passed his elbows. He remained in his boots, though he took the armored outer shell off of them. Jorgan shook his head, exasperated, "Sir we are still on orders and the Republic issues us uniforms for situations like this."

Dren turned to Jorgan with a sigh and said, "Jorgan, this is the closest thing to a vacation we are ever going to get for who knows how long. I intend to enjoy it to the fullest, alright? You can represent the Army in whatever way you see fit. All I ask is that you let me relax and have a good time. Don't worry! I'm not going to shoot up the café or anything. I can't, even if I wanted to, they took all my blasters – remember?"

Jorgan nodded and was about to protest when Dren put his foot down. "Sergeant Jorgan, I am ordering you to pull that stick out of your fuzzy ass and relax or at the very least, let me relax. Understood?"

To his surprise, Jorgan sighed and even smiled slightly in resignation. "Yes sir, under protest, sir."

Dren laughed. "Only you would protest an order to relax and have a good time. I'm heading to the café and getting some food. Have fun and don't do anything too crazy like gamble away all our money. We'll need it to refit and such on Coruscant and we special forces grunts don't get much."

Jorgan chuckled. "Oh I plan to increase our funding tonight, Lieutenant. Trust me, it's hard to read a Cathar's face and I have a mean sabacc face as it is."

Dren clapped him on the back and then headed out.

Moira had changed into a deep blue tunic with a rather plunging neck line and an un-scuffed pair of high healed boots. The tunic fell to just above her knees and the boots came about half way up her shapely calves, leaving about twelve centimeters of skin showing between them. When she stepped out into the hallway, Corso's already big eyes got bigger which made her chuckle. "Damn, Captain! You look like a million credits. Is there an occasion I don't know about?"

She sashayed up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. With a sultry purr, she asked, "Do I really need a reason, Corso?"

Corso gulped and tried to look down at himself only to look directly down his captain's plunging tunic and right at her shapely and full breasts. Blushing like a school boy and snapping his head back up fast enough to smack his dreadlock knot against the durasteel wall behind him, Corso said, "Not at all, Captain. I just feel a little underdressed, that's all."

Moira stepped back and looked at the farm boy. He wore a simple pair of denim cargo pants and a button down plaid shirt with a white shirt under it. To her, he looked fine – fine as hell, actually. "Come on, Corso. Let's get some grub and a drink or ten."

Corso laughed and followed her slow trot with long strides.

In the main dining area of the café, Dren set his plate and a mug of dark ale down before him. He couldn't remember ever having food like this. It was delicious and rich and he couldn't get enough of it. Suddenly, a familiar figure set a plate and glass in front of his. "Is this seat taken, Soldierboy?"

Dren looked up to see Captain Moira Denic and said, "You just took it, Captain. Have a seat. You're buddy can sit wherever he wants, too."

As she sat, Dren took the opportunity to give her a quick look-over. _Damn!_

Corso came up behind her with big tumbler of some kind of whisky, no ice and a plate of food. He plopped down at an angle to Moira, right next to Dren. "Thank you kindly, Lieutenant."

Dren chuckled and looked at Corso's drink. "Whatcha got there, Mr. Riggs?"

The big man waved a hand and said, "Mr. Riggs was my dad, Lieutenant. Call me Corso. I'm drinking Mantellian mash – it'll put hair on yer chest and give ya a deep voice."

Dren nodded. "I've had it. It's not bad. I prefer Correllian whiskey or scotch from Corescant. That stuff's pricey though but oh-so smooth. Anyhow, you said earlier that you're looking for your ship, Captain. What happened to it?"

Moira swallowed her food and said, "A no-good, shutta born, son-of-a Kath Hound stole it on Ord Mantell. He headed to Coruscant which is where Corso and I are going. I plan to steal it back and shorten the kriffing bastards life if possible."

Corso winced physically at her language and Dren's eyes widened. He was impressed by her colorful language. It was worthy of any officer, soldier or space marine in the armed forces. Chuckling and taking a sip of his ale, Dren said, "Well best of luck to you with that, Captain. I pity the poor nerf brain who crossed you."

Moira smiled sweetly and said, "You don't have to call me captian, you know. Call me Moira, Lieutenant."

Dren emptied his mug and said, "Only if you call me Dren. I only use titles when necessary and here, at a dinner table with a beautiful woman, is not necessary. You too, Corso."

Moira smiled beautifully and Dren finished his first plate of food. "If you two will excuse me a second, I'm going to get more food and another drink."

When he came back, Riggs was gone. "Where'd Corso go?"

Moira said, "Oh he's going to go and check out the shock ball court. He does enjoy a good game of shock ball. So, Dren, I'm dying to know – how did you get those scars?"

Dren chuckled and pointed to the one on his left cheek bone. "I got this from a slug thrower fired by a Separatist on Ord Mantell. Me and two grass-green grunts were pinned down so I just called in a bombing run. Well, when the dust settled, we headed towards the position and one of them had survived somehow and took a pot shot at me. It cut across my cheek and I had to yell at the two greenies to not shoot him. Turns out, he had some good information for command."

Moira nodded, fascinated. "Wow! That must have been something!"

Dren shrugged modestly. "Eh well, you know. You were on Ord Mantell. Wait a second…"

His face became a little skeptical. "We got reports of someone going behind lines and wreaking havoc on the Seps after blasting in to the space port like it was nothing while the separatists had several of anti-air cannons under their control. Was that you?"

Moira shrugged nonchalantly and said, "Maybe… Are you going to arrest me for interfering with a military operation?"

Dren shook his head, chuckling. "Hell no! If I wasn't slightly afraid of you, I'd come around this table and kiss you for saving us military types a whole bunch of trouble."

Moira gave a sultry wink. "Maybe, just maybe, I'll let you give me that kiss later. Let's just see where the night and the alcohol take us, shall we."

Dren agreed as he downed a glass of Coruscant scotch. He was about to ask about how someone managed to steal her ship when music began to play and an area of the hall went dark. The only lights were multi colored club-style lights. Moira's face took on a devilish look and Dren immediately shook his head. "No. I don't dance."

Moira didn't listen. "You do now, Soldierboy. Come on;" and she grabbed his hand and hauled him out of his seat. Sighing and blushing madly, Dren followed her onto the dance floor. Right into the thick of the crowd, Moira pulled him and started to dance. Dren really wasn't a horrible dancer, he just hated dancing in crowds like this. Moira was loving it though and Dren couldn't deny that she was downright mesmerizing when she danced. They were dancing around each other seductively when Dren felt his comlink vibrate. Putting a hand up and motioning towards the side lines of the dance floor, Dren showed Moira his comlink. Moira pouted and shewed him away. Dren pushed his way through the crowed and answered the comlink. "Hey Jorgan. Everything going alright?"

To Dren's surprise, a chuckle came from the other end. "Oh, I'm doing great, Lieutenant. I had an excellent meal and now I'm sitting to a sabacc game, some Correllian whisky and a nice cigarra. You doing alright, sir?"

Dren was shaking his head in disbelief. "I'm doing great, Sergeant. Dancing with that pretty young woman we met earlier – well, I guess I met her earlier."

A grunt came from the other end. "Eh, I guess I don't have to worry about you fraternizing with an enlisted marine then. That's good. Just don't do anything too crazy, sir. If I have to bale you from this ship's brig, I swear, I'm filing a report with General Garza."

Dren gasped in mock shock. "You'd tell mom on me, Jorgan?"

Again, to his shock, Dren heard another chuckle. "Yes I would, Lieutenant. Now get back to her before someone else notices her and you feel the need to do something stupid."

Drem laughed and signed off before turning back to the dance floor. He froze at what he saw. Moira wasn't dancing but was surrounded by four obviously drunk males – two humans, a twi'lek and a zabrak. Moira was clearly not happy that they were crowding her. _Damn! Jorgan really called this one_. Taking a deep breath, Dren waded into the crowed again and, when he got to them, called to Moira. "Hey, Moira. You doing okay?"

Moira looked at him and said, "I'm fine. Just a little short of air being crowded like this. You mind, boys?"

One of the humans and the twi'lek turned to him. "Butt out, boy. This has nothing to do with you. Mind your own business."

It had often been said in Dren's first unit to watch out for the Correllian's temper. It was well said, too. Dren had been written up a number of times for losing his temper and beating the shavett out of some other soldier. He especially despised space marines though. The damn jumpers always thought they were better, faster and stronger than army soldiers and it was a rare occasion for Dren to avoid a fight with them.

Dren was beginning to lose his temper now. "I'm making this my business!" he snapped. "This is a friend of mine and I don't like seeing my friends crowded and molested by a group of drunken idiots."

The twi'lek was about to put his hands on Dren when Moira moved. With a round house knee, she caught the zabrak in the gut before punching him in the side of the head. Dren grabbed the twi'lek's lekku and punched him in the face. The two humans were too drunk to even react. They just stared at them and Moira said, "You want some too, nerf brains?"

They both looked like they were about to try and fight when a large hand descended one each other their shoulders. Two tall figures were there in the dark green robes of the Jedi order. One of them, a broad fellow with muscle stretching the fabric to the limits, wore a simple tunic beneath and had a long-handled lightsaber at his belt. The other was even taller by at least three inches and wore armor under his green robe, a lightsaber at his belt as well. "What's going on here?" asked the taller one. Dren didn't even give the drunken troublemaker time to speak. "These four were crowding my friend. She asked them to give her some space and they pressed the issue. Things go out of hand and we had to knock these two out to get a point across."

The broader Jedi asked Moira, "Is that so, ma'am?"

Moira's eyes flashed. "Ma'am? I am not old enough to be called ma'am, Jedi. Yes, what Dren said is true. They wanted trouble and after trying to convince them otherwise, we gave it to them."

The two Jedi looked at each other and nodded. Suddenly, the music stopped and the lights turned back on. Through the crowed came four space marines. One of them, a commander in rank and a Mon Calamari asked, "What happened here? Ah, Jedi. Thank you for looking into the situation. Did you manage to glean any information?"

The broad one relayed the details to the marine commander and the taller one said, "You two look okay. My name is Alias Ordo and the broad bastard you see behind me is Nedeser Thul. If you need anything on this trip or have anymore trouble, let us know."

Dren and Moira nodded and the two Jedi turned away while the space marines led the four miscreants away. Suddenly, Corso walked up and said, "Everything alright, Cap'n?"

Moira nodded and said rather irritably. "You two know that I can, in fact handle myself, right? I'm not some damsel in distress that you need to swoop in and save."

Both Dren and Corso backed up, their hands up in a defensive posture. Dren said, "Woah, now. I never thought I had to rescue you. If there was going to be a fight, I just wanted in on the fun, that's all."

Corso nodded. "Same here, Cap'n. Besides, just because a lady can fight doesn't mean she should have to, that's all."

The music began to play and the lights went back down. Dren yelled over the sound, "I'm going to get another drink. Be right back."

When he came back, Dren noticed that Corso and Moira were dancing together. Corso looked a little stiff and uncomfortable while Moira was doing everything she could to make him uncomfortable. Dren chuckled. He liked this smuggler captain and her farm boy buddy. Moira saw him then and smiled, beckoning him seductively with her index finger. Downing the rest of his drink, Dren went into the masses. When he got to her, Moira wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him down to her and whispered, "It's getting awful warm and close in here, don't you think, Soldierboy?"

Dren nodded, his hands on the small of her back and itching like blazes to go lower. Moira licked her lips slightly and whispered breathily, "Well why don't you dance one more dance with me and then we can go and find somewhere nice and private where you can tell me about all those scars of yours?"

Dren chuckled and nodded again. His mouth was quite dry and he didn't trust his voice. With their bodies pressed together, they began to dance. Half way through the song, Dren placed his scarred, rough hands on either side of Moira's face and kissed her. He half expected to be slugged for his presumptuousness. The last thing he expected was for Moira to mold her curvy body against his and trace his lips with her tongue. When he opened them out of reflex, she captured and sucked on his lower lip before driving her tongue deep into his mouth. _Woah!_ He didn't expect that. The night just kept getting better and, if he was lucky, it could only get even better still from here.

It seamed like forever for both of them for that last song to end but when it finally did, Moira whispered in his ear, "I assume you and your soldier buddy are sharing a room. Well, Corso and I have separate ones. Follow me, Soldierboy."

Taking his hand, she pulled him along and Dren followed obediently. After rounding a couple corners, however, it seemed that the beautiful smuggler captain couldn't wait any longer. Suddenly, Dren felt himself slam against the bulkhead and she was kissing him ardently. Slowly, she lifted and leg and ground herself insistently against him. Dren groaned. He took her hips and pressed her harder against his thigh. A low whimpering moan went from her lips to his and she let go. "Come on, baby. A little further."

They hurried, kissing their way to one of the doors and Moira slapped at the control blindly as she began to kiss and nibble down his thick neck. With a hiss, the door opened and they both nearly fell into it. Separating a little, Moira gasped for breath and said, "Woah! Do this a lot, Soldierboy?"

Dren looked down, his own chest heaving. "Not as much as i'd like. War zones aren't the most appealing places to women and they certainly aren't to me."

Moira smiled and said, "I dunno. I've had some fun in a war zone. I could tell you stories that would curl your hair."

Dren chuckled. Moira sashayed up to him again and whispered, "But it's your turn to tell stories now, Baby."

She began to unbutton his flannel shirt. "Well most of the ones you can see right now are pretty low-key. Scrapes during training, near misses by blaster bolts or slugs, maintenance cuts and bruises - stuff like that."

Moira pushed the shirt off his shoulders and admired how this big soldier's muscles stretched the gray shirt beneath. Purring, she said, "Well, why don't you show me some more interesting ones then, Dren? A big, tough vet like you must have quite a few."

Dren smiled and stepped back. In one smooth motion, he pulled the gray shirt off, revealing masses of muscle and a whole new collection of scars. The big soldier knew what was coming. Women usually gave mixed looks of admiration and shock or even disgust. This one was no different. Moira's hazel eyes grew huge and they were mixed with fascination and a little bit of shock. Dren had a long horizontal scar right across his abdomen, two small scars about three centimeters and round on each rib cage and a massive star shaped scar right over his heart. "I know," said Dren. "Pretty gruesome, huh?"

Moira's expression changed slightly and she cooed. "Oh I was just marveling at your god-like physique. The scars just add to it. Make you a deal, baby;" she sat on her bed and crossed her legs, leaning back on her elbows in a way that pressed her chest out towards him. "You tell me about each of those scars and I'll take off something at the end of each story."

Dren nodded agreeably. _This night can not possibly get any better. Pfft, of course it can_. "Well these two are from the same thing. A separatist sniper got a shot off at me. The slug went in one side and out the other. I had a real nice suit of armor that sealed the wounds slightly and kept my lungs from collapsing."

Moira slowly bent over and took off her boots and the socks beneath before sitting back up. The motion had afforded Dren a great view down the front of her tunic, though he didn't make his look blatant, looking away after only a moment. Moira chuckled, "My, my - a gentleman who doesn't stare; that's admirable but unnecessary in this case, Baby. I take it that kolto was able to fix you up after that slug went through you?"

Dren nodded. "Oh yeah - kolto and a very skillful battle field surgeon and a rather odd medical droid. Anyhow, this one -" and he pointed to the long white line across his rippling abdominal muscles, "- I got from a trandoshan mercenary. He surprised me and gave me a wicked cut with a vibro-bayonet. I broke his neck and then fell onto my back, using my hands and a none-too clean rifle cleaning rag to hold my insides in and..." Dren blushed suddenly and looked away. "Sorry, that was bit too much information."

Moira giggled and said, "Oh don't worry, baby. It doesn't bother me. You said you broke the trandoshan's neck - how did you do that?"

Dren shrugged nonchalantly. "Punched him real hard right in the nose then pulled him into a lock. His claws gave me these just before I snapped his neck in half."

Dren indicated several sets of long, jagged scars on his arms. Moira stared at him open mouthed. She had run into trandoshans before and they still made her nervous. This soldier had gone knuckle to claw with a trandoshan warrior after getting cut open and still killed it with his bare hands and not only won, but lived through it. Dren looked at her expectantly but Moira just shook her head. "Dren, after everything like that, any soldier would have been excused from the Republic military with commendations and awards and the marks of a hero yet you ran back into it. Why? What were you fighting so hard for?"

Dren looked a little surprised. "For the Republic - what else? My old man was a soldier though he wasn't a combatant. He had a skill with keeping weapons and machines working. They would bring him anything from a vibro-knife to an artillery piece or from a hydraulic drill to a walker and he would get it working in no time. In fact, he never saw an ounce of combat in the last war."

Suddenly, Dren's grinning face fell. "Well that is until towards the end. He died on Aldaaran as part of the task force that Jedi Master Satele Shan lead to liberate the planet. He volunteered to go and make sure that all their weapons and armor and equipment were shipshape. Somehow though, he was pulled into the thick of it and was cut down by a Sith Warrior."

Silence followed for a minute before he said in a more cheerful though still sober voice, "My mom swore up and down that she wouldn't ever let me enlist. She said that my father died so that I could become something more than a simple soldier. Like a good little boy, I went through school, got excellent grades and the highest marks and graduated top of my class. It was only two days after the graduation ceremony that my mom was riding the tram home when she was mugged and killed by some swoop gang thugs. Well I went after them and killed seventeen or eighteen of them before CorSec caught up with me. When the judge heard my story, he gave me two options: a penal colony or join the military. I chose the army."

Moira's face had softened and she had patted the bed beside her. Dren strode over and sat down next to her. "The Army taught me that actions like that only beget more hate and anger. If I was going to fight, I needed a better reason than my own pain. There are billions of people over ten thousand worlds hurting and I can help them by protecting and saving them. So that's what I'm doing. I threw my heart and soul into the Army and now..." and he stopped, smiling conspiratorially at Moira. "...keep this to yourself, Moira, but I was promoted to command the most notorious special forces unit in the Republic military."

Moira's eyes widened. "You command Havoc squad?"

Dren's eyes shot up. "How the kriff do you know about that?"

Moira managed to say, "My cousin designed a starship for the special forces - a B-7 Thunderclap Fighter-Transport. Supposed to be more high tech than a Verpine's datapad."

Dren chuckled and they were quiet for awhile. Suddenly Dren stood and laughed. "Well my sob story sure killed the mood. Sorry about that, Moira."

He was about to throw his gray shirt back on when she cocked her head to the side. "Hey! Why are you getting dressed again? I never said I wanted you to leave and I was enjoying the view."

Mature Content Ahead

She stood up, took the shirt and threw it across the room before taking his arms and maneuvering him back to the bed and whispering, "As a citizen of this Republic, I feel duty-bound to show you some appreciation for everything that you've been through. Oh, and I think I owe you another item of clothing, don't I baby?"

Pushing him down on the bed, Moira straddled his lap and grabbed the bottom of her blue tunic. Slowly, seductively, she lifted it up over her head, revealing one of the most beautiful bodies Dren had ever seen. She still wore a matching set of undergarments but Dren's imagination made up for what was covered. "One more story for that star on your chest and you can help me take these off;" whispered Moira before pressing her body against his and kissing his lips, his cheek and along his jaw, making talking problematic for a moment. When he could, Dren tried to hurry through the last story. "Well, as you can imagine, this last one was courtesy of the Ord Mantell Separatist movement. I took a blaster bolt straight to the chest. It burned through my armor and chest. I was out like a light but when I woke up, my squad mates swore up and down that it had burned through skin, muscle and bone and they could see my heart beating there. When I looked, I only saw a big white scar."

Moira _hmm'd_ against the side of his neck before cooing. "You must be one hell of a soldier. Do you think you can help me with these last few pesky clothes?"

Dren chuckled huskily and said, "I'm sure I could but then you would be naked and I wouldn't be and that's not fair."

Moira laughed and backed off the bed. "That is true."

She bent down and unbuckled his boots before tugging them off along with his socks. Smoothly, she unbuckled his belt and pulled him to his feet. She kissed him ardently as she pushed his denim pants down along with his under shorts while he impressed her by unclasping her bra without even looking before easing her panties down her long, smooth legs. With an almost violent shove, Moira pushed him back onto the bed. Dren said, "Woah!" as his knees buckled against the foot board of the bed and he fell backwards. Using his hands, he pulled himself further back onto the bed and Moira jumped up after him. She laid atop him length wise, kissing him and grinding her pelvis against his impressive and partially aroused manhood. After a few moments of kissing that left both their heads spinning, she half rolled off him and began to stroke him. "Thank you for your service;" she whispered seductively as she did. Dren's head was losing all conscious thought. Before his mind was completely lost, he flipped her over and kissed her again. After a few moments of being lip-locked, he began to trail his lips down her neck, paying special attention to the throbbing vain there before nibbling her collar bones and continuing down. Moira gave a little gasp of shock when he gave one of her breasts a nip before soothing it with a kiss. "Kriff me, Dren!" she nearly shouted as an exclamation more than a demand. The soldier chuckled. "Oh we'll get to that."

His hand was trailing down her toned stomach and Moira was beginning to tremble and whimper in anticipation. As his hand move downward, it began to slow until it was almost stopped just above her slick folds. "Dammit, Dren - stop teasing me!"

Dren's husky chuckled made her want to either slap the mischief right out of him or force the issue by pushing him over and mounting him but, oh force forever, it already felt so good and could only get better from there. Finally, two fingers rubbed over the entrance to her core and she shivered like a leaf. The shivering was replaced by a spasm as his nimble fingers found the bundle of nerves that sent bolts of pleasure arching through her body. The whimpers turned into loud moans of desire and pleasure as his fingers stroked and teased the spot while he continued to kiss, nibble and suckle everything he could reach. For blissful minutes, Moira lay there moaning and insisting and begging Dren to _please don't stop_ and _oh force, do that again._ Dren was enjoying inflicting nearly painful pleasure on such a beautiful woman. When he realized that she was mere moments away from climaxing, he slid the two fingers inside her while still using his thumb to worry her sensitive nub and she bit down on a knuckle to keep from screaming. In moments, she was moaning and her body was bucking uncontrollably as her muscles clenched around his fingers. With a great sense of masculine satisfaction, Dren stopped and let her recover. Moira looked at him, her eyes nearly rolled back into her head and her lids fluttering. "Wow!" she whispered. "I haven't felt like that since..." but she couldn't focus her mind enough to remember. Smiling, she sluggishly rolled over so that she was half laying on top of him. "Just let me pull myself together a bit and we can continue this, baby."

Dren chuckled. The chuckle turned to a sharp intake of air as she grabbed his still erect manhood and began to stroke. "Just a few moments, Soldierboy, and I'll take you for a ride like you've never been on before."

Dren only lay there as she slowly stroked. After a little bit, Moira pulled herself up and positioned him in just the right spot before lowering herself and engulfing him completely. They both groaned at the sensation and just waited a couple seconds to settle in. Moira leaned forward and placed her hands on Dren's chest. As she slowly began to raise herself off until he was still barely in her, she cooed, "So much lovely, lovely muscle - I could enjoy this view forever."

Dren barely gritted out as she slowly lowered herself back down, "Oh the feeling is very mutual."

Talking became almost impossible, aside from the repetitive nonsense that came with sex. Moira slowly began to pick up the pace - up and down, up and down. Dren's large, rough hands refused to stay still, wandering from her hips to her ass to her back to her breasts back to her hips. Suddenly, he took hold of her hips and held her still for just a moment. Moira gave him a small frown and was about to ask if something was wrong when Dren set his feet and drove himself up and into her. The question became a choked half-moan-half-scream. In that position, Dren thrust himself in and out of her as she gripped his shoulders till her knuckles were white and his shoulders were bruising. They quickly felt themselves going higher towards blissful oblivion. _Kriff, Kriff, KRIFF_ and _More, MORE_ and _Don't you dare stop_ and more was gasped out until they both began to buck and spasm. Dren gave a long groan of release and Moira screamed soundlessly to the ceiling before collapsing. Their bodies were trembling and covered in a layer of sweat. Dren began to feel a little cold and pulled the blanket over them.

Mature Content Ends here.

When they both began to breath normally and Moira had removed herself from Dren, the big soldier sat up. "Where're you goin'?" Moira slurred, still coming down from her ecstatic high. Dren chuckled and said, "Do you mind if I use your refresher real quick?"

Moira nodded. "Shir, go 'head. Better come back though."

Dren nodded. When he came back, he sat down on the edge of the bed. Moira looked a little more lucid and said, "That was something else, Soldierboy. We really must do that again sometime."

Dren agreed soundly. He was about to start gathering his clothes when a knock came from the door. Dren froze and looked at Moira as the voice of Corso Riggs came through. "Hey Cap'n. Just checking on you before I turn in. Do you need anything?"

Embarrassed and a little nervous about being caught by her farm boy buddy, Moira was about to snap at him but instead said, "I'm alright, Corso. Thanks. Have a good sleep. Be ready for action tomorrow though."

A booming chuckle came from the other side of the door followed by, "G'night, Cap'n. Sleep tight."

As soon as they heard the door across the hall hiss shut, Dren quickly threw his clothes back on, all but his heavy, clunky boots which he carried to be silent. When he got to his flannel shirt, he found that Moira was wearing it, smiling impishly. "Oh did you want this, Soldierboy?"

Dren laughed and shook his head, "I'm good. Looks better on you anyway."

Moira stood up and, to Dren's surprise, gave him a hug - not a sexual hug but a friendly hug. "You know, Dren, this may seem a little out of place after everything we just did but you need to know - you're a good man and you do great things for the Republic. You make fringers like me re-evaluate why we do what we do. Just keep that in mind, okay?"

Dren hugged her back, a new-found affection for the beautiful captain worming its way into his heart. "You be you, Captain. You be you."

They separated and Dren slipped out quietly. When he was goodly distance away from Moira's quarters, he began to whistle a jaunty marching tune. When he got back to his and Jorgan's quarters, he was surprised to see Jorgan still away. The Cathar sergeant was frowning, as usual. "Have a good time, Sir?"

"Oh yes, Jorgan, I sure did. Now I'm exhausted though. What the frak are you still doing up?"

A huge, fang-filled smile crossed Jorgan's furry face. "Showing off, of course, Sir. Take a look at this."

He tossed a credit stick to Dren who plugged it into a datapad. When he saw how much money was on the stick, the Correllian's eyes widened. "I'll be damned, Jorgan. You tripled the amount of money we have to work with."

Jorgan stood and stretched. "Never play against a Cathar. You can't read their faces but they can smell your anxiety. Now I'm going to bed. Get some sleep, Sir. I've a feeling we're going to have a busy day tomorrow."

Dren chuckled to himself as Jorgan plopped down onto the bed and fell asleep.

 **I hope you enjoyed this story. I feel like the flashpoints are never written about enough so I thought I would give it ago. The one is going to be a three parter. I'm also hoping to develop the characters of the Republic playable characters and their companions a little more. Anyhow, please read and review. I love hearing what people think of my stories.**

 **Updated 07.01.2016**


	2. Chapter 2

Dren sat to breakfast the next morning, unable to stop smiling happily. Last night had been a good night and they would be at Coruscant before tomorrow night. Everything was going great. Jorgan had elected to eat in their quarters instead of in the dining hall, saying that he wanted to make sure that he was caught up on operations and technical manuals for their weapons, armor and equipment. Dren chuckled at the idea. Only Aric Jorgan could decide to eat in solitude and read manuals. Suddenly, a small hand slapped his shoulder while he was sipping his caff, nearly causing him to spill it. "Morning, Soldierboy. Are you sore from last night?"

Moira Denic, wearing a very well tailored tunic and pants, plopped down across from him, a plate of food and cup of black caff in front of her. Dren set his cup down with a smile. "Morning, Beautiful. No I'm not. Are you?"

Moira nodded, winking sultrily and saying in a rather breathy voice, "Oh yes but believe me, I am not complaining."

Dren smiled smugly, obviously feeling a great sense of masculine pride. Corso can and plopped down with them too. "Morning, Lieutenant. Sleep well?"

Dren nodded. "Sure did, Corso. You?"

The big farm boy turned mercenary nodded. "Oh yeah. I haven't ever slept on a bed that comfortable."

The three of them talked as they ate. Suddenly, two more figures and a droid stood over them. "Do you mind if we take the last couple chairs?" asked a tall, lean Jedi in a suit of armor with a robe over it. Moira nodded her head. "Of course, Master Ordo. Please join us. You too, Master Thul."

The two Jedi sat down and began to eat, joining in with the lively conversation. Moira, winked at Nedeser Thul, a tall, thickly built, blond haired, blue eyed man with a long handled lightsaber at his waist. "I didn't know you Jedi could get so big. I was always under the impression that you worried about the mental and spiritual stuff of the force and less about the physical but you look like you do plenty of the physical, Master Thul."

The young Jedi blushed, turning away slightly but saying politely, "We try to balance out between the physical, spiritual and mental. I was training to be a Jedi Guardian for the longest time but that just wasn't my skills set or calling."

Moira nodded. "Well you can guard me anytime."

Ordo laughed and slapped his friend's broad back. Before he could comment or anyone else could say anything, a young blue skinned twi'lek woman walked up to their table and said, "Excuse me? Could I speak with you for a moment?"

They all turned to her and it was Jedi Nedeser Thul who pulled the chair out politely for her and said, "Of course. Here, have a seat."

She smiled sweetly and said, "Thank you. I don't mean to trouble any of you but I was wondering if any of the crew has come to speak with any of you."

Nedeser, Alias, Dren and Moira looked at one another and shook their heads before Alias turned back to the twi'lek woman. "No ma'am. No member of the ship's crew has sought us out. Should they have?"

She shifted uncomfortably. "I – I heard a rumor that there is an Imperial war ship following us – and I know, I know, the Treaty of Coruscant, but I don't trust the Empire to keep the peace."

The four travelers looked at one another. Corso had gone to get more caff and was chatting with one of the space marines and the little droid, a T3 unit if Dren was correct, was connected to a wall socket a dozen meters away. Finally, Dren shrugged. "Well we don't know for sure if the Imperials are following us. I say that it's best not to worry about it for now."

The two Jedi nodded but Moira, being less trusting of any kind of authority stayed silent. The twi'lek noticed and asked, "What do you think, miss…"

Moira shrugged and said, "It's actually Captain - Captain Moira Denic. I think that it's always best to stay on your toes and be ready for anything. If there are rumors, they had to come from somewhere, that's all."

The two Jedi looked disapprovingly at her but she ignored them. The twi'lek woman nodded and sighed in frustration and crossed her arms over her chest. "I just wish I could get one of the crew to answer my questions. They won't tell the passengers anything at all and that's not exactly reassuring."

Dren began to feel his skin prickle. It never boded well when the security and crew of a ship didn't even try to allay the fears of the passengers – especially on a passenger star liner like the _Esseles._ Alias cleared his throat and said, "Well, telling the passenger that there are Imperials after us would only insight panic. We don't need that."

The blue skinned twi'lek sighed and stood. "I suppose. Still, I think it's unsettling to think that we might have Imperials behind us."

Dren and Moira looked at each other uneasily. The two Jedi didn't look to at ease either. Suddenly alarms started going off and a automated voice said, "Warning! Warning! Incoming Fire! All hands, brace for incoming. Repeat, all hands, brace for –"

The four travelers leaped up, Moira cursing angrily. Of course, the rumors had to be true this time. Suddenly, the whole ship shook violently and many of the guests, as well as dishes, bottles and furniture fell to the floor. Explosions could be heard throughout the ship. Dren growled. "I hate being unarmed."

The twi'lek woman was oddly calm. "The four of you should get to the bridge. I think the captain may need the extra help. Hurry!"

The four of them took off in the direction of the bridge. The Jedi had lightsabers in their hands but the soldier and smuggler were unarmed. As they rounded a corridor, they came across an area where the damage was more severe. Lying on the ground in the wreckage were two uniformed figures. One of them was dead but the other, a young woman, was in shock, breathing hard with her legs trapped under the debris. Dren ran up to them and pulled the dead one from the wreckage. He had a blaster on his hip which Moira took. The young woman looked at Dren and said, "Lieutenant! Is everything okay?"

Dren smiled and said, "Oh yeah. Everything's good. Stay still now. We'll have you out of there and to the med center before you know it."

The two Jedi stretched out their hands. While Alias lifted the main junk pile, Nedeser carefully caught or shifted small pieces. Unfortunately for the young space marine, her legs were crushed and had shards of metal sticking out of them. She saw them and her eyes widened. Before she could scream, Nedeser Thul said, "Hush, now. Sleep."

To the amazement of Dren and Moira, the young space marine fell directly to sleep. Carefully, Dren pulled her free. She had a blaster rifle and pistol on her. Dren took both, handing the pistol to Moira while he checked the rifle. Both were good and had full powercells. As promised, they dropped the marine in the med bay before bolting to the bridge.

It was a scene of chaos, there. Out the front viewport could be seen a massive Imperial war ship, sending periodic volleys of turbo laser fire at them. At the very front of the bridge, near an utterly demolished control console lay a figure with two beings kneeling beside him. One of them, a big, broad fellow said, "He's gone, Sir. You're in charge now. What are your orders?"

The young man he was speaking to, clearly the first officer, was on the very brink of hysterics. "My orders? Weapons are out! Shields are out! Comms are out! There's nothing we can do, Navigator Plex!"

Nedeser walked up with the others at that time and said, "The path may not be clear but that doesn't mean there isn't a path."

The first officer snarled, "Who are these people and why are they on my bridge?"

Moira nodded her head firmly, "Good, you have the spine to take charge."

He glared at her but Navigator Plex said, "Sir, we need all the help we can get. We need to keep it together her or we're finished."

The first officer, who's name plate read Haken, whirled on him and said, "Keep what together? The Imperial's have us by the throat. We're as good as dead."

Dren was losing patience and snapped, "Pull yourself together. You're not helping things at all right now."

The First Officer Haken ignored him, covering his face and moaning, "I can't believe this is happening right now."

Before anyone could scold him for being witless, the comms officer said, "Sir, incoming message – the Imperial ship is hailing us."

That seemed to draw the young man out of his hysteria. "What? Oh, well put him on."

Above the holoprojector, an imposing figure was displayed – a man in an Imperial Moff's uniform perfectly tailored for him. One whole side of his face was a mess of scars. In a very rich, cultured voice, he said, "Attention Republic Transport _Esseles_ , this is Imperial Grand Moff Rycus Kilran. Your defenses are disabled. Attempt no resistance."

Nedeser clasped his hands behind his back and said, "We are aware of the situation we're in, Kilran. Why are you here attacking us?"

Kilran smiled coldly. "Your ship is transporting a known anti-imperial terrorist and seditionist known as the Ambassador Vyn Asara."

First Officer Haken frowned. "Who? We didn't take on any passenger by that name. I've never even heard of this person."

Moff Kilran just smirked a little. "Interesting – lying or simply incompetent? It's not matter. My agents aboard your ship have informed me that the ambassador it there."

Alias, the tall Jedi Knight snorted and said, "Well obviously your agents are misinformed. The First Officer informed you that there is no ambassador on board."

The smug bastard simply replied, "You'll forgive me if I don't take his word for it, my friend. Imperial Soldiers are preparing to board your ship. My agents will ensure that you will not interfere with them. If you attempt to stop my men from arresting ambassador Asara, I will have every living thing aboard the _Esseles_ killed."

The image of the Moff disappeared. Dren was itching for action. "Where is the primary airlock? I'm sure I and the Space Marines can stop the Imps as they try to board."

The two Jedi had their lightsabers in hand and, to Dren's surprise, Moira was checking the charge on the blasters.

The navigator looked startled, "Weren't you listening? If we try to fight, they'll slaughter us. We have to cooperate."

Just then, Jedi Ordo's T7 droid, a big trandoshan , Aric Jorgan and Corso Riggs all rushed to the bridge. The first officer seemed to have finely gained his nerves completely. With a determined expression, he shook his head. "It won't matter, Plex. Kilran has us now and he'll kill us all."

He turned towards the four travelers. "He's famous for it. The ONLY one he wants alive is the ambassador."

They all nodded. "If Kilran gets the ambassador while we're still in his sights, then we're goners. Those soldiers have to be stopped before they can succeed."

Moira holstered her two appropriated blasters and smiled coldly and confidently. "We'll ensure that no Imp soldiers get aboard this ship."

She looked at the three men with her, her mind picking that moment to realize that it could be fun working with a group of such attractive and dangerous men. Smiling beautifully, she gave them a each a sultry wink. The First Officer nodded. "Thank you for volunteering and I'm sorry I lost it."

Dren waved the apology away with a smile. "It happens to all of us our first time, Haken. You recovered, now lead these men and women."

The first officer smiled and said, "Thanks. It means a lot that you're helping, you know."

Dren's regular cockiness got the better of him and his smirked, shoulder the blaster rifle in a low ready position. "It's been awhile since I broke a sweat. This could be fun."

The First Officer's smile broadened. "I'm sure you can handle anything the Imps will throw at us. I'll have Commander Narloc and the security team meet you at the primary air lock. They haven't seen much action but the commander knows his stuff."

His face turning deadly serious, Haken said, "Good luck. We're all counting on you."

Moira hmmphed slightly and murmured, "Great, no pressure then."

"What should we do?" asked Jorgan. Dren said, "None of you are armed. Stay here and wait till we repel the boarding parties then you can get some weapons and sweep this ship of any remaining boarders and agents."

Corso looked at his captain and she nodded. "Dren's right. Stay here and wait for the all clear."

With that, Alias Ordo, Nedeser Thul, Moira Denic and Dren Antilles left the bridge. Between them and the primary airlock were several entertainment, recreation and leisure areas. When they came to the first one, they saw a half a dozen individuals holding the rest in one large group, all sitting on the ground. The six individuals were armed with hold-out blasters and it didn't take the defenders long to realize that they were the agents Kilran had spoken of. Moira and Dren didn't even bother trying to get them to surrender. They both just raised their weapons and fired. The bolts of energy took four of them out before the Imperial agents even realized they were there. The other two were slammed into the wall with telekinetic blasts from the Jedi. Alias turned and glared at the soldier and the smuggler. "You didn't even give them a chance to surrender!"

Dren shrugged as he skillfully zip-cuffed the two unconscious enemy agents. "We don't all have fancy force tricks like you, Jedi."

Nedeser, more calmly than his friend, said, "No, but you do have stun settings on those blasters."

Moira chuckled. "That we do, Jedi. But from this range, we'd stun a whole bunch of passengers along with the agents and if even one was still conscious, he would start blasting away at the passengers. What do you prefer, handsome - dead Imperials or dead passengers?"

Alias and Nedeser looked at each other, unable to come up with a viable argument. Dren solved it. "Tell you what, you two go first from now on and we'll handle the agents anyway you see fit, how's that sound, Jedi?"

The two nodded, igniting their weapons. Ordo wielded a single blue bladed lightsaber but Thul had a green, double bladed one that looked very fearsome and impressive. The next area they went into, the two Jedi batted blaster bolts aside as they used the force to sweep the agents aside. There were more of them now. Within moments, all of them, ten in total, were unconscious and the passengers grabbed their blasters and tied the agents up. Thul smirked. "See and no one died."

Moira scowled but Dren shrugged, "Well now I'm impressed. Let's keep going."

There was only one more open area that they needed to clear before they had reached the airlcok and it had eight Imperial agents inside. Each of them had a passenger as a human shield and one of them yelled as soon as the four defenders moved into the lounge area. "Don't move any closer! If you do, these people die!"

All for stopped but Alias and Nedeser didn't seem that concerned. Alias waved his hand and said, "You will let them go."

The agent sneered, "Nice try, Jedi. We have mental training against your childish tricks now drop your weapons. You have three seconds!"

The Jedi reached out their hands to wrest the weapons from their wielders' grasps. It worked accept three of the armed individuals realized what was going on and pulled the trigger. Three passenger bodies thudded to the ground, charred holes int their heads. The two Jedi seemed shocked. Moira and Dren pointed their weapons the agents and Moira's voice was cold. "Just give me a reason, Imperial scum - JUST. ONE. REASON."

They did so, trying to charge the two of them but they were blasted as soon as they took a step and none of them made it to the soldier or smuggler alive. As soon as they were dead, the former prisoners began to flock around the body's of the three executed prisoners and the cries of loved ones quickly filled the cabin. Dren and Moira were about to push on when they noticed Alias and Nedeser were still just standing their, looking as if they had been frozen. Dren went up to Jedi Thul and gave him a none to gentle slap. "HEY! Snap out of it, Jedi. We need you. When it comes to Imperial's there is always, ALWAYS, collateral damage. If you let that paralyze you, you are worse than useless. In fact, you're a liability."

Moira was doing the same thing to Alias and slowly, the Jedi shook their head, clearing them and they headed towards the primary airlock where a team of two dozen space marines waited, lead by a tall Mon Calamari. The fish-like alien was giving his grass-green recruits a pep talk and it even seemed to be helping. The Jedi strode out in the open, their weapons ready. About four meters behind them and just slightly off to the side, Dren and Moira took positions, know that the Jedi would intercept any stray bolts coming towards them. Dren took a knee and aimed down the sights of his blaster rifle while Moira stood, her legs spread just wider than shoulder width and the blaster gripped firmly in her hands. Suddenly, sparks flew and they all recognized a shaped charge. As soon as the door was gone, the defenders opened fire, pouring laser bolts into the smoking hole. More energy streaked out in return as black and red armored Imperial soldiers ran in, try to find cover. The defenders hadn't had time to move all the crates, boxes and other various things from near the air lock so the Imperials managed to get a foot hold. Over the sound of blaster fire, a demand came from an Imperial officer. "Surrender!"

In reply, Commander Narloc threw a grenade and yelled, "Victory or nothing!"

The explosion filled the end of the corridor with smoke but they could all hear the sound of the dead and the dying. Dren knew that later, he would have to wrestle with the scene in his mind in order to maintain his psychological stability. Even as a soldier, even as an elite special forces commando, he still hated killing and hated worse the need for it but he didn't shy away, firing blast after blast with expert precision. Suddenly, a grenade bounced towards him and, out of pure instinct, he kicked. He was lucky that it was not on an impact or proximity fuse but rather a timed one. Nedeser Thul, who sensed it, leaped straight up and the grenade sailed beneath him back into the midst of the Imperials before going off. Moira whooped and continued blasting away. Dren smiled grimly. The Imperial advance was stopped and they were running out of troops. Suddenly, a blaster bolt, one that Jedi Thul had missed blazed way too close to his face, leaving a horizontal burning on his cheek. Twisting and falling with a cry of pain, Dren covered his face. "Dren!"

Looking up, he saw Moira standing in front of him, blasting away at any Imperial stupid enough to show their faces. Suddenly, tired of this, Alias gave a wild cry in a language that Dren didn't understand. The Jedi Knight leaped, spun, rolled and dodged through the hail of deadly energy until, with a single stroke, he cut down the Imperial lieutenant who was leading the assault. Most of the other Imperial soldiers were killed too before four of them lay on the ground and put their hands on their heads. Dren stood slowly, his face still burning. Moira grabbed his hands and tried to move it but Dren wouldn't let her. "Let me see, damn it!"

Reluctantly he did and was pleasantly surprised to find that he not only still had an eye but that it worked just fine. Moira sighed with relief and smirked. "Looks like you have another story to tell the ladies, Soldierboy. We'll get some kolto for that later."

Dren nodded. It still hurt like hell-fire. A chorus of whoops and cheers came from the defending space marines. None had died and only three had severe injuries, none of which would be fatal it treated quickly. The Mon Calamari commander was all but crowing with pride. "Oorah! We've done it, men! We've DONE IT! The ship is saved!"

"I'm sorry commander but that - that isn't the case;" said a very sad, quiet voice from behind the marines. They parted to reveal the blue skinned twi'lek woman they had talked to before Kilran's ship had opened fire on them. Moira frowned at her. "An Imperial said that you are the one they were sent to capture."

The twi'lek woman shook her head, "Listen, that's not important right now, okay? We have a serious problem. First Officer Haken walked us right into a trap and the attack on this airlock was just a ruse. After he sent you here, Mandalorian Commandos took the bridge lead by one named Iron First."

Dren scowled. He had never faced a Mandalorian and had never wanted to. "We need more details, Ambassador."

Speaking quickly, she explained, "The Mandalorians work for the Empire and they're some of the best warriors in the galaxy and this Iron First is one of the most famous. He has never been defeated, never even been driven back. He and his commandos have stormed the bridge and now the entire area is locked down tight."

Alias crossed his arms. "How did you learn about all this?"

The twi'lek looked a little exasperated. "I snuck into the security center and watched the cams. We don't have time for this, let's go!"

Before she could turn away, Narloc grabbed her shoulder and said, "Why are the Imperials so damned desperate to capture you?"

Sighing resignedly, she said, "Because of my work. I'm a Republic ambassador. I go to Imperial controlled planets and convince their governments to come over to our side."

Moira's eyes widened and she said, "Damn! Talk about running dangerous cargo! Who gets you in and our of these places?"

"I slip in on passengers ships like this one now can we please go? The ship is still in enemy hands!"

They started heading in the direction of the bridge and Narloc said, "We need to retake the bridge and the longer we take the harder those Mandos will be to get out."

Asara, the ambassador, shook her head. "As I said, they have it locked down and there is no way to get in and out."

Dren shrugged. "There has to be an override or something."

Alias grinned and said, "Okay here is the plan: Narloc, take your marines and start making a lot of noise throughout the ship. I'm sure they used boarding pods and spread out, not to mention more Imp agents. Des, you, the lieutenant and the captain can come with me and we'll find a way to get that shield down."

Asara frowned. "What about me?"

Dren replied as he checked his blaster rifle, "You're staying with us. Let's head down to engineering. They are the only ones of the bridge who could override the lock down. Stay behind the Jedi, Ambassador."

At a brisk jog, they headed towards the engineering compartment. As they ran, the ship shook violently and, through the bulkhead speared three pods, wedging themselves in place. Dren recognized them - Imperial boarding pods. They opened and out came Imperial battle droids. They weren't much trouble. Dren and Moira took care of them while the Jedi made sure that Ambassador Asara stayed safe and in one piece. Moira blasted the last droid and said, "You know, I kinda expected more from Imperial battle droids. Then again, I expected more from the Imperial troopers too. Maybe I should just lower my expectations."

Dren chuckled but the Jedi Consular Nedeser Thul said, "I wouldn't. If you lower your expectations, you may underestimate them. It's far better to be cautious sometimes."

Moira smiled and said, "I prefer confidence, myself, Jedi."

They continued down the corridors, blasting through a few more groups of droids and Imperial agents. When they finally reached engineering, they found it sealed by a particle shield. The chief behind it scowled, "You must be crazy, coming all the way down here with Imperials everywhere."

Moira crossed her arms. "Mercs have the bridge locked down and you can get us in there."

The chief engineer rubbed his temples and said, "The Imps pulled the lock down. You have got to be kidding me."

Ambassador Asara cleared her throat. "There is no time to waste. We need to get the bridge unlocked now before Narloc and his marines get overwhelmed."

Dren frowned and said, "Can you get the bridge open from there?"

The chief replied rather snarkily, "It depends on how we go about it. Just let me thing a minute."

One of the other engineers, a young, dark skinned human lifted a hand, "What about a reactor reset? That would disengage the security locks, wouldn't it, Chief?"

The Chief scowled at him. "Yes, but a reactor reset automatically vents the engineering compartment. We'd all be sucked into the black."

Alias scratched his chin. "Okay so are there any other ways to do it that won't result in that?"

The Chief nodded. "Yes, there are two secondary conduits throughout this level. If you get to them, you can shut down the security lock down."

The four defenders nodded in agreement but Ambassador Asara said, "There is no time to go running all over the ship. If we take too long, the Imperials will overwhelm Narloc. Sorry Chief but we need to unlock the bridge while we have the chance."

All four of the defenders looked aghast. Nedeser shook his head firmly. "We will NOT sacrifice lives for an easier solution. Now listen..." he turned to his companions and outlined an idea. "I'll take either Moira or Dren and we'll go and get one of them. Alias, you take the other and get the second conduit."

Moira flashed a smiled and sidled up to Nedeser. "I'm with you, big boy."

Dren chuckled and stood next to Alias. "Okay, let me see;" said the Mandalorian Jedi Knight as he brought up a schematics of the area they were in, using them to locate the two conduits. "Des, come here and take a look. I'll take this one and you take that one."

Nedeser nodded. "Got it. Let's go."

With that, they split, leaving Asara alone. Nedeser turned to her and said, "Don't you even think about it, Ambassador. We'll have that shield down in no time."

Until Nedeser and Moira got to the conduit, neither of them met any Imperials or mercenaries. "Must be hard to be a Jedi. I mean, you miss so many of life's base experiences;" murmured the beautiful smuggler as they headed towards their target. "It's hard to miss something you've never had. Like chocolate for example. How can one miss chocolate if you never had it and don't know what it's like?"

Moira giggled and said, "That is so different than sex. Tell me something, does being a Jedi keep you from getting hard if you see a naked woman?"

Nedeser blushed but remained focused. "I've never seen a naked woman but I doubt that it would. The body still has natural reactions, though I know how to help suppress those reactions through the force and mental discipline."

Moira smiled wickedly and said, "Really?"

Putting on a burst of speed, she stopped in front of him and, with a wink, lifted her outer shirt, under shirt and bra, revealing her full, perky breasts. Nedeser's mouth went dry as sand and he was immediately required to call on the force to keep the blood from rushing to his manhood. Clearing his throat, Nedeser grinned and said, "Now that was worth seeing but is this really the time, Captain?"

Moira shook her head and she dropped and adjusted her clothes into position. "Amazing! You have all that power and you use it to keep yourself from getting hard. Just imagine the things you could do to a woman or multiple women if you wanted to."

Nedeser laughed as they came up to the door to the conduit station. It was jammed shut. "Great;" growled Moira but Nedeser just reached out with the force and force the door opened amidst a shower of sparks. Inside was a squad of eight soldiers and a large, three legged and heavily armed war droid. Nedeser ignited one of the blades of his weapon and mutter, "Oh boy."

Moira flung a grenade at the wardroid and opened fire on the troops. After the grenade scrapped the droid, Nedeser leaped at the enemy troops, cutting down several of them. Moira blasted several more and, within moments, the room was empty. Moira ran up to the console and began tapping away at it. "Got it! Back to engineering."

Alias and Dren didn't meet any trouble between the engineering shield and the conduit either and when they got to the jammed, door, Alias said, "I'm going to cut us an entrance. Get ready to throw a grenade or two as soon as I do."

Dren grinned and pulled out two grenades, saying as he got ready to prime them, "You know what, Alias - I like you. You're alright, especially for a Jedi."

The Jedi Knight laughed and then slashed through the door in a quick square before using the force to blast it inward, managing to smash a war droid as he did. Dren threw the grenades and they both ducked back into the passage till the explosives detonated. Rushing in, the found that only three of the enemy troops remained. Dren blasted two of them and Alias cut down the third. Running up to the console, Dren began to tap at it. "Do you know what your doing, Lieutenant?" asked Alias doubtfully. "It can't be hyperdrive science, can it? A-HAH! Got it. Let's go."

The four defenders got back to the shield and were happy to see it was down. "Right;" said Moira, looking very serious. "Back to the bridge."

They had a fight to get back. When they got to the command level, they found it overrun with groups of Mandalorians, all of them wearing bes'kar'gam, otherwise known as armor made of Mandalorian Iron. The stuff was resistant to lightsabers, blasterbolts, projectile weapons and just about everything else. Quickly, after several very close calls, the four defenders fell into a routine. The Jedi covered the other two and deflect blaster bolts while the other two took their time or used sonic grenades to scramble the armor's equipment or did whatever else they could. Sometimes, the Jedi would just use the force to slam, stun or put to sleep the Mandalorian boarders but that didn't always work, especially not on the older, more seasoned warriors. Despite the tough resistance, they made it to the bridge and strode onto it. Down in the pit below the main command deck stood a big man, taller than Alias and broader than Dren. With a small, sardonic smile, the big man began to clap slowly. "Well, well, I was wondering when you would come. Is this it? There aren't more of you?"

Moira leveled her blasters and said in a cold, deadly voice, "Oh I'm just shaking in my boots. Promise, I am."

Iron Fist grinned eagerly and said, "Just give me a decent fight, will you."

Turning to two Mandalorians, he said, "Let's vape this worthless scum and get back to work."

The two mandos lifted their weapon but that's all they managed. Nedeser and Alias lifted them both, slammed them into the deck plating so hard, that they dented it, slammed them into each other and then slammed them into opposite walls. The two warriors fell like dolls to the ground. At the same time, Dren and Moira were circling and firing at Iron Fist. He was quick, despite his size, avoiding most of the fire and catching the rest on his thick armor. He returned fire too, nearly killing both of them before they found cover. Iron Fist was about to fire a rocket at one of them when Alias was on him. The Jedi Knight yelled something in a strange language and Iron Fist's eyes blazed. Leveling his arm, he sent a jet of fire at the Jedi Knight, who lifted his hand and used the force to direct it away from him with ease before he blasted at the Mandalorian merc with the force. He flew backwards but, before he hit the wall, his jet pack fired up and he blasted back at Alias, plowing into him and pummeling at him. Nedeser Thul lifted both of them, separated them and tried to slam Iron Fist into the deck. Again, the Jet pack was able to dull the blow considerably. Dren, fired his last blaster bolt before dropping the rifle and charging the larger man, punching him four times in the face, hard enough to draw blood and blacken an eye. The merc laughed and swung back, slightly surprised when Dren blocked the blow, grabbed the wrist, spun, fell to a knee and threw the Mandalorian over his shoulder neatly. Viciously, he tried to stomp on the man's head but Iron fist rolled away and stood up, facing the two Jedi and the unarmed soldier. He lifted his hands, ready to fire more gauntlet mounted weapons when Moira Denic leaped onto his back and wrapped a wire around his neck. With a look of pure hatred on her face, she twisted it and yanked hard, trying to either slice deep into the Mandalorian's neck or just cut off his air. It almost worked too but Iron Fist managed to get one of his hands up under the wire just as it tightened, allowing him room to breathe. Reaching up and behind him with his other hand, he grabbed a handful of clothing and yanked. Moira came off with the sound of tearing cloth. It probably saved her life. Iron Fist had wanted to slam her head first into the ground. Seeing his new friend nearly killed galvanized Dren to move again. Charging, he slammed his forehead into the Mandalorian's nose, breaking it as he got one big hand around Iron Fist's throat. The Mandalorian removed the hand from his neck, lifted Dren and tried to throw him, but the gamely soldier refused to let go, kicking at his knee joint instead. The big Mandalorian didn't have his hydraulic joints activated and on knee buckled. With a knee, Dren smashed Iron Fist's face. Finally realizing he was in trouble, Iron Fist broke free and tried to roll away, only to come up facing a blaster muzzle and the deadly cold face of the smuggler. The last thing Moira saw in the Mandalorian's face was the look of respect - respect for a foe who had beaten him before she blew his head clean off.

Dren shook out his arms, both of which were bruised from defending against Iron Fist's bes'kar clad forearms. Neither of the Jedi were hurt and Moira had a cut on her head but nothing worse. Suddenly, the beautiful smuggler cried out and ran towards a group of huddled figures. Dren recognized them - one was his Sergeant, Aric Jorgan and another was Corso Riggs. Both were limp and lay next to a huge trandoshan. Dren ran over just as Jorgan sat up and snarled. Suddenly, he was up, a feral light in his eyes and his retractable claws and fangs bared. "Where is the bastard? I'll rip his throat out with my teeth!"

Dren held up a hand. "Easy, Sergeant. He's dead the the ship is ours. Moira, how's Corso?"

Moira looked on the verge of panic. "Corso? Corso? Come on, buddy, wake up!"

Dren knelt beside her and gently stopped her from slapping his face anymore. "Hold on, Moira. Let me see."

He tested the big farm boy's pulse and found that it was strong. They probably stunned and drugged him. Taking a look at the mercenary's hands, he noted the scrapes and scars on it. "He put up a fight so they stunned him and then probably gave him a sedative. He's fine, Moira."

Moira wasn't convinced. "He better be. How do I wake him?"

Nedeser Thul knelt beside them and closed his eyes, placing a hand on the farm boy's chest. Slowly, Corso opened his eyes and groaned. "Ouch! My head is killing me."

Moira leaned down and kissed him, saying seductively, "Does that help, Corso?"

He grinned and said, "Yeah! Maybe if you gave me one or two more, I'd be shipshape again."

Moira gave him a long, slow kiss on his brow before saying, "That will have to do. Maybe later, after we clear out the rest of these Imps and Mandos, you'll come and stay with me in my room. I'll take real good care of you, promise I will."

Corso sighed and said, "Not sure I can do that, Capt'n..."

"Save the sweet talk for later, we need to clear the rest of the ship;" said Nedeser rather huffily. Moira looked at him. "My, my, Jedi. Was that jealousy I heard?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Let's go."

 **Updated 07.06.2016**


	3. Chapter 3

The crew of the Esseles were quiet as the four passengers-turned defenders strode purposefully towards the hanger. Dren wore his battle armor and carried his blaster cannon after the Space Marine Commander Narloc had cleared him and his friends to grab their weapons. Moira Denic had taken one of the suits of light marine armor to ware and on her hips was a pair of heavy blaster pistols. When they had been in the weapons locker, she had showed them to the big soldier. "Meet Flashy and Sparkles, two best blaster pistols I've ever had."

Dren, knowing quite a bit about weapons, examined the two pieces. They were in great shape, fully upgraded and polished till they shined like new. "Very nice. Were'd you get them?"

Moira holstered them and said, "Corso Riggs gave them to me. Wow…"

She looked Dren Antilles up and down with a smirk. "I have to say, Soldierboy, you make that suit of armor look really good. Can you really carry around that cannon all day? It looked pretty hefty."

Dren chuckled as he finished pulling the blaster cannon out of its carrying bag. With ease that belied the weapons size, he swung it onto his shoulder before holstering a heavy blaster pistol. "You get used to it."

The two Jedi were outside waiting for them. Alias Ordo wore a set of armor with his tunic and robe over it. He was tall and lean and tossed his lightsaber up and down in anticipation. In contrast, his close friend and fellow Jedi Nedeser Thul was a couple inches shorter but broad and thickly muscled. He held a double bladed lightsaber in his hand and wore a simple set of normal Jedi attire, stretched to the limits by his impressive musculature. "Are you two ready yet?" asked Alias, just the bare amount of impatience in his voice. Side by side they left the armory.

As they boarded the shuttle, a tall man with dreadlocks pulled back into a tale called out, "Be careful, Cap'n."

Moira smiled back at him. "I have all these big strong men to look after me, Corso. What's the worst that can happen?"

She threw her arms around Dren and Nedeser and gave each of them a flirtatious wink. Corso frowned and said, "I wish you'd let me come along, Cap'n."

She smiled at him and said, "Corso, we went through this. You had a nasty concussion and shouldn't be up and around too much yet. Go back to the bridge with Jorgan. I promise it won't be long before I'm back."

He still looked unsure. Moira ran back down the ramp and leaned up, kissing him lightly on his scarred cheek. "There's one. You'll get another one when I get back IF you promise to STOP WORRYING."

Corso sighed and said, "Just be careful, Cap'n."

She ran back up the ramp and took a seat next to Dren. "He really likes you, you know."

Moira nodded. "I know. I don't want to give him the wrong idea. It's just…"

She paused and sighed. "I'm not looking for anything permanent. I don't want to settle and, just telling by how he was raised, that's exactly what he is going to want."

The two Jedi watched in interest. Dren nodded and said, "You sure about that? People can stray a far cry from where they were raised. I sure did."

"Not Corso. He's a perfect gentleman. I like the farmboy and I really don't want to hurt him. That's all. If he wants a tumble between the sheets I will gladly enjoying obliging him but that's as far as I'm going. I've tried, too. He doesn't want to treat women that way."

Dren sighed. "That's admirable. I used to be that way but then I just stopped caring so much."

Moira nodded and silence stretched for a few minutes until Moira grinned at the two Jedi. "How 'bout either of you two? Either of you want to have some fun when this is over?"

Alias winked. "We'll talk about it."

In contrast, Nedeser looked away, not answering. Moira wouldn't let him stay out of the situation. "How about you, Nedeser? You saw a little of what I had to offer. You want some more?"

He blushed and smiled slightly. "No, thank you, Captain."

She pouted slightly. Dren elbowed her and said, "I'm always ready for seconds."

She laughed and was about to reply when the pilot yelled. "We're landing in thirty seconds. Get ready."

Without saying a word, Dren unbuckled and stood, hefting his blaster cannon. His eyes gleamed with the light of battle and he spread his legs wide in front and behind him, taking his weapon off safety and pointing it at the boarding ramp. Behind him, the Jedi stood, their weapons unlit in their hands but ready and Moira knelt down, both her blaster pointed outward. The space marines that had accompanied them and Ambassador Asara, wearing a suit of light marine battle armor and holding a blaster pistol, leaned back against the bulkhead. The pilot said, "We're in! Lowering boarding ramp!"

As soon as the ramp started to fall, Dren Antilles squeezed the trigger and, with a high-pitched whine and rapid _thump thumps_ the cannon spat energy. The Imperial soldiers couldn't run for cover fast enough and four of them were ripped apart. Moira fired methodically, picking off those who broke cover. Slowly, the two of them strode down the ramp as the enemy tried to return fire. A lucky blaster bold slammed into Dren's armor. He staggered back slightly and chuckled. Suddenly, a trio of _snap-hisses_ sounded from behind the soldier and the smuggler and the two Jedi leaped over them, engaging the enemy themselves. Dren and Moira turned towards a fresh group of defending Imperials, blasting away at them. It was a matter of minutes before the hanger was clear. Commander Narloc and Ambassador Asara strode up to them. "We have the marines around the ship, securing the hanger. We'll be back here when it's time to leave;" said the Mon Calamari.

They nodded and the four infiltrators ran at a light jog towards one of the monitors. Moira frowned as she began tapping on it. "Let's see if I can still do this;" she murmured to herself. With an "AHAH!" a small holographic image of the Imperial Dreadnaught showed up. Dren looked at it quickly before saying, "Okay, we need to eliminate the tractor beam generators here, here, here and here. We should also take out the hyperdrive generator. That will be here. If we do that, we'll be able to leave and they won't be able to follow us."

Alias nodded. "Okay so split up again? Two of us can take the tractor beam locks and two can take the hyperdrive."

Dren nodded. "I'll go with Nedeser this time. Moira, you and Alias take on the tractor beams."

They nodded. Moira downloaded the schematics and they took off. Since they had a good distance to travel before they had to split, they stuck together, running down the nearest corridor, using Moira's data pad to navigate.

At the end of one of the halls waited a large group of war droids. Six were the bipedal humanoid droids while two were squad looking things – the heavy war droids that the Imperial's used for breaching and crowed control. The Jedi spun, twisted and leaped through the hail of fire while the other two picked targets. The war droids were demolished with relative ease. Dren chuckled. "I was expecting more from Imperials."

They went through the blast door and Dren got what he wanted. It was a command room filled with waiting Imperial Fleet Security Marines and even more war droids. Moira glared at him as they dove for cover and yelled, "You had to open your damn mouth, Antilles. You just had to do it."

Dren shrugged and powered up a personal energy shield before standing. Instead of the stream of blaster bolts, he fired one mortar shell after another. Computer consoles, droids and even humans were blasted apart as blaster bolts ricocheted of his energy shield. Moira, taking the opportunity, lobbed a frag grenade towards one of the groups of Imperials and, after the grenade had gone off, peaked over the console she was sheltered behind and began to fire. The two Jedi were moving around the outer edge of the room, cutting down any enemies they came across. When it was clear, they went to one of the few remaining functional monitors. "Let me see." murmured Moira once again. She began to work through the files she could find. "What the hell are you doing, captain?"

Moira ignored the Jedi Consular and continued flicking through files. Finally, she said, "Yes! I got what I needed. Let's go."

They ran off again. As they went, Dren murmured to her, "What were you looking for?"

Moira winked and said, "Mind your business now, Soldierboy. Don't worry about it. We're coming up on the junction where we need to split."

They came to it and, without another word, the two teams split off. The hyperdrive was in the bowels of the ship, way down in engineering but the tractor beams were spread out along the starboard side. Moira and Alias sped quickly along. Each time they came to groups of enemy soldiers, security marines or war droids, Alias would slice his way through, much of the time before Moira even had a chance to fire a shot. When they came to the first tractor beam control room, they found it regularly manned with crewmen. They all stared for a moment. Pointing his lightsaber at them, Alias was about to order them to surrender but Moira blasted all seven of them, a look of cold anger on her face. Alias looked opened mouthed at her. "What the kriffing hell, Moira? They could have surrendered."

"Imperials don't get the luxury of surrender. They don't get mercy. They don't get to live. Let's go;" she said flatly. Turning to the control monitor, she dropped a thermal detonator on it. "The timer has a twenty second fuse. Let's leave and find the next one."

Nedeser and Dren were not having as easy a time as their friends. It seemed like every step of the way was blocked and hampered by enemy security personnel and combat droids. Deeper and deeper into the ship they went. It was almost an hour before they came to the hyperdrive generator room and that was because they found a tram that would take them there. Inside was a huge war droid. It stood five meters tall and its weapons looked like they were meant for destroying walkers and tanks, not enemy soldiers. Nedeser and Dren looked at each other. "What can you tell me about that droid, Lieutenant?" asked the Jedi Consular. Dren shrugged and checked his ammunition. "I'm not sure, Master Jedi, but I know I only have four mortar shells left and two powercells, each with two hundred rounds worth of power. I'll have to grab a blaster rifle from the next group we run into. Anyhow, here's what we'll do. I'll draw fire. You get close and dice the massive junk heap."

Nedeser suddenly grinned wickedly, something that Dren never expected to see from the more serious Jedi Consular. "Better idea - watch this, Lieutenant."

Suddenly, he was gone. It was as if he faded into nothing. Dren was very perplexed, looking around and wondering if he was losing his mind. Well, either way, the droid was still there. Hefting his weapon, he leveled it at the droid and waited a few moments, seeing if this mysterious Jedi would show up again. Finally, he sight and fired his weapon, strafing sideways as he did. He was about to nail it with a mortar when the Jedi appeared, slashing at its legs. To Dren's surprise and dismay, the weapon cut deep but didn't go through. The blasts from Dren's guns were making shallow blast points but not doing much more. Suddenly, the droid turned to face the Jedi, aiming its weapons at it. Dren yelled, "Hey, overhear!"

It ignored him and fired a massive blast towards Nedeser Thul. The Jedi moved out of the way with a burst of impossible speed. Dren took the opportunity to blast at it with two mortar shells. The blasts caused it to rock slightly but, otherwise, didn't do anything but put dark dents in its transparasteel gray armor. That's when he realized what kind of droid it was. Calling over to the Jedi Consular, who was flicking in and out of sight trying to find a weak spot on the droid, Dren said, "Jedi, it's a siege droid. There are weak spots on the back - access panels cover them. If you can get the covers off, and get its back to face me, I'll like the aluminum can up with my last two mortar shells."

Nedeser didn't show any sign of hearing him. He did, however just disappear. The droid seemed confused for a moment before turning to face Dren and leveling its massive artillery cannons on it. Suddenly, before the droid could fire, Nedeser leaped up and slashed through the access panels. With a quick motion, he cut a square in one of the access hatches before the droid sent out a strange, sonic shock wave that blew the Jedi back. He must have shielded himself because he didn't shatter or disintegrate, simply spun and flipped backwards, landing on his feet. With another burst of that impossible Jedi speed, Nedeser caused the droid to turn its back to Dren. Satisfied, he fired a both his mortar shells into the unarmored maintenance panel of the siege droid. With a whine, it tumbled over to the left, kicking for a second before its visual sensors went dark. Nedeser grinned broadly at Dren. "Nice shot, Lieutenant."

"Damn it, Jedi, when will I get you to call me Dren?" laughed the big soldier. The laughter died on his lips though as the droids lights turned back on and it struggled to its three metallic feet. "Okay, so apparently they have back up power, Dren. Any ideas?" called the Jedi, his lightsaber alive in his hands again. "Give me a second. I have a couple concussion grenades left but that's it."

Nedeser avoided more of the siege droids artillery blasts, yelling as he did, "Toss me those grenades. DON'T prime them!"

"Do I look like an amateur to you?" demanded the soldier as he tossed the unarmed grenades. The Jedi summoned them to him and pocketed them. Faster than the soldier could see, Nedeser zipped around before suddenly vanishing again. The droid turned back to Dren. The Correllian soldier froze. His shield, even at full power, wouldn't stop even one of those blasts. Suddenly, Nedeser appeared and slashed through the second access plate. The droid bucked him off and Nedeser slammed against a support column. He managed to land on his foot and fell to his knees. The grenades fell out of his pockets and rolled. "Kriff this!" snarled Dren and slotted his last full powercell before overloading the cannon. Running towards the droid, he heaved his weapon into the air. It slammed into the back of the droid and wedged between two of its armored plates, right in the joints of its back leg. Pulling his blaster pistol, he took careful aim and fired. The blaster bolt struck the weapon and it exploded, causing the droids rear leg to be blown apart. With another whine, it fell over, kicking and jerking. Nedeser staggered to his feet, shook his head and leaped into its chest plate. With all the strength he could muster and a roar of triumph, the Jedi Consular drove his lightsaber into the droids chest plate. Slowly, once again, the lights faded. Summoning the grenades to him, he held them as he exerted great power and flipped the droid over. Arming the grenades and setting their timers for twenty seconds, he dropped them on the access pass. They both ran and the droid exploded again. Turning back to the hyperdrive, Dren looked at Nedeser and said, "Well we're out of explosives. Any ideas, Jedi?"

Turning to face the hyperdrive generator, Nedeser said, "Open the blast door and get ready to shut it. When the hyperdrive blows, it's going to spill fumes and coolant - nasty stuff."

Dren obeyed without question and turned to watch the Jedi. Nedeser reached out and gripped the piece of equipment. With a sound of bending metal and a crunch, the hyperdrive imploded and shut down. As Nedeser had said, coolant leaked everywhere and fumes began to come from it. Nedeser leaped back and Dren shut the door. "Wow..." said the soldier. Nedeser looked down the corridor just as a trio of Imperial security marines pelted towards them. Stretching out with the force, he stole one of their rifles and handed it to Dren. The others froze before resuming their charge. Dren shot all three of them coolly. After filling his pouches with powercells and grenades, he looked at the Jedi. "Hanger?"

"Hanger;" replied the Jedi.

Moira and Alias looked at each other. They were at the last tractor beam emplacement. "After you;" said Moira. Alias shook his head. "Ladies first."

"Well when you find some, they can go first. Go on."

Alias chuckled and slapped the hand pad. It slid open and they both rushed in. Waiting for them were at least thirty Imperial security marines, war droids and techs - all armed, all shooting at them. Alias leaped from cover to cover, batting blaster bolts back at his attackers at they came too close. When in range, he cut through the enemy, slashing apart droids and living enemies alike. Moira was blasting away at any who showed their faces, picking them off almost leisurely. It took almost fifteen minutes for them to clear the room. The techs all tried to surrender and Moira strode towards them, her blaster raised. With a wave of his hand, Alias put them to sleep and stepped in between Moira and them. "No;" he said firmly, using a free hand to lower her weapon. Moira's eyes were cold and angry. "Take your hands off me."

"No;" said Alias softly. "Even Imperials will receive mercy. If you can't handle that, wait outside the room."

She glared at him before turning and stomping out of the room. Alias sighed and slashed his lightsaber through the tractor beam emitter. "That should do it;" he murmured. Outside, Moira was furious. She was so angry that tears were leaking down her face. When Alias came out, she punched him hard in the face. "You had not right;" she said in a low, husky voice. "No right to deny me my vengeance."

Alias looked at her. "Vengeance for what?"

"Go. To. Hell, Mandalorian;" she spat, grinding each word out. She turned and headed back the way they had come. Alias made sure to stay a little behind her. A group of the marines came on them, eight of them. Moira didn't even take cover, screaming with rage, she blasted them, standing in the middle of the corridor. They died quickly and Alias and Moira kept walking. "Look, Moira, I'm sorry for whatever happened but this is not the time to let emotions..."

"I swear, Jedi, on the bodies of my dead son and fiance that if you finish that sentence, I will drop you here and now."

The hate in her voice hit him like a wave. Alias remained silent as they walked. Suddenly, she turned on him. "You know, you Jedi are so full of it! You live your lives devoid of emotion, of attachment and of anything that makes life worth living. You walk around preaching your _dogma_ and expecting everyone else to live by it. I know for a fact that it wasn't always that way but somewhere along the line, the Jedi became cowards - unable to handle emotions and the idea of loss. You are the reason there is darkness in the galaxy. YOU and the Sith are only different in that they at least have emotions. You - you're only slightly better than advanced droids."

Moira spat the last words with such venom that Alias took a step back. He knew that none of that was true and he was certain she did too. She glared at him, daring him to challenge her. Alias didn't. It took all his Jedi training to override his Mandalorian blood and attack back. Finally, Moira laughed and said, "See what I mean? Any really living person would be pissed and at least say something but you can't."

"It's not that I can't;" said Alias calmly. "I am just either waiting for you to start walking again or spill why you're so filled with hate for the Empire. We have all lost someone to the Empire. ALL of us."

"Yeah? Who did you lose, Jedi?"

"Never you mind. This isn't about me and I've made peace with it. Clearly, you haven't or can't. That's none of my business though. If you want to fester in your hate then do it when you aren't around me."

The coldness and well controlled but still present anger surprised Moira. "You don't even know what it means to love. How could you have lost someone?"

Alias gave a bark of laughter and started walking again. "You and all your kind don't know the first thing about being a Jedi. You don't know what we sacrifice. You don't know what we have to deal with. All you see is our 'dogma' and the choices we make. All you see is our power. Some fear it. Some want to control it. Some mock it and are angry by it. You. Know. Nothing. You know nothing about me. If you're quite finished with your self pity, can we move on, please?"

Moira got in front of him again and said, "I know nothing? Answer me this, oh _wise Jedi Master._ Have you ever seen someone you loved killed in front of you by Imperial soldiers? Have you ever had them break into your home, kill your beloved and rape you repeatedly? Have you ever woken up at a hospital and told that you'll make it but the person you loved the most in your life is dead? Have you ever had someone tell you that your unborn child was killed because the soldiers were vicious in their assault on you?"

Alias's eyes were wide and he staggered back against the wall. Moira's face was wrathful but it was also devastated. Tears rolled down her face and she scrubbed them away. "THAT is what my life was, Ordo. I lived on a little known mid rim world that wanted to stay neutral in this war. But the Imperial's came. My fiance was a cyber-security specialist for a large air speeder manufacturing company. We were at home when they came. He was beaten and shot and I..." she shuddered, wrapping her arms across her body. "Again and again and again until all seven of them had a turn. My neighbor apparently found me unconscious and naked and bleeding and took me to the hospital. When I finally woke up in the over-packed room, a doctor told me that I would survive but they had to take the dead unborn child out of me or else it would kill me. So, answer me this, Jedi: why should I show mercy to _them?"_

Alias couldn't answer the question. His own blood was boiling at the idea. He strode up to her and said, "I have no answer for you, Moira. I'm so..."

"Shut. Up. Let's go. We need to get back to the ship."

They continued down the corridors, cutting and blasting through every Imperial defender they went through. Despite himself, Alias didn't stop Moira anymore. He felt as though he didn't have that right. It wasn't long before they met up with Dren and Nedeser. The Jedi Consular and the soldier seemed cheerful at Moira and Alias walked up. Alias shot Nedeser a warning look and they continued. "Let's go;" said Moira. She sounded drained and tired. As they made it to the shuttled, Ambassador Ashara ran up. "You made it. Come on lets..." but she didn't finish her sentence. She stared in terror behind the four heroes. Turning, they saw why. A large security team of Imperial marines came through, lead by a black armored and cloaked figure. "At last, worthy opponents;" he said before looking at Dren and Moira. "Who are these lesser being you bring to challenge me?"

Dren smirked, "Clearly your education is incomplete. Haven't you ever heard of Havoc Squad?"

The dark man snarled, "You dare speak to me, fool."

Moira shook her head. "I'm willing to bet your insane."

"Enough!"

With a snap-hiss, two red lightsabers ignited and the man attacked. Nedeser and Alias engaged him while Moira and Dren blasted away at the Imperial Security team. Alias and Nedeser found that this one Sith was capable of holding his own against them. The fighting was fierce and the Jedi, just off of Tython and barely proclaimed full Jedi, would have been over-matched by this Sith Lord individually. Together, though, they slowly began to push him. When the mysterious Sith realized this, he switched tactics. With an outstretched hand, he blasted back the Jedi Knight and doubled his assault on Nedeser. The Jedi Consular, though a superb swordsman, was driven back quickly, staying ahead of the attacks just barely.

Moira shot the last Imperial and turned to the lightsaber duel just as Alias leaped back into the fight. Both she and Dren leveled their blasters but held their fire. Their friends were in there. With a growl of frustration, Dren threw down the rifle and crouched as if waiting for something. "What the kriffing hell?" sputtered Moira. Suddenly, both Jedi were flung back, Nedeser's lightsaber cloven in two, and Dren was on the move. The Sith must have been entirely focused on the Jedi because Dren slammed into him, helmeted head first, shattering his nose. With to mighty swings, he punched the Sith before kicking him hard enough to send him skidding backward. Before he could renew his attack, however, the Sith was up. With a sneer, he sent a torrent of force lightning that sent Dren flying back, crashing into a landed Imperial shuttle. With a contemptuous snarl, the Sith flung a lightsaber at him. Dren tried to duck but Moira could have sworn she saw the lightsaber hit him. Suddenly, the red energy blade was spinning towards her. Less than half a meter away, it stopped and then flew to the hand of Nedeser Thul. Striking a very elegant fighting stance, the Jedi Consular used the force to fling volleys of debris at the Sith, who cut most of it out of the air. The rest, he simply dodged. Alias was there in a moment, doubling his attack with a very aggressive fighting style, pushing the now-handicapped Sith back. Nedeser was there seconds later, using the red bladed weapon like a fencing foil. With a scream of rage, the Sith tried to blast them back but, somehow, Nedeser shielded them both and Alias coolly beheaded the Sith. The fight was finally over. Moira ran over to the fallen soldier, fear stamped on her beautiful features. "Dren!"

The two Jedi ran up and stopped. A meter long slash rent the back of Dren Antilles's armor. "Let's get him on board."

As the ship took off, two corpsmen tried to work on the wound. "The skin is cauterized. We need to cut away the ruined flesh before we can apply bacta."

Nedeser sat down and crossed his hands near the injury. "Let me."

He closed his eyes and called on the force. Slowly, the cauterized flesh began to flake away. Moira watched anxiously, relieved that it appeared that Dren would be okay. Alias sat down next to her. "I'm sorry;" he said. She looked at him. "I had no right to judge you so. I didn't know what you had lost. And you're right, we Jedi do tend to try and force our views on others. So please, accept my humble apology. If there is ever anything you need, Captain Moira Denic, ping me on the comms and I'll do whatever I can."

He was about to leave when Moira's hand caught his. "Sit here with me, will you? I accept your apology and I'm sorry too. Just please sit with me."

Alias nodded. Moira didn't let go of his hand the whole trip. Her expression was vacant and her eyes red and dry.

Dren woke up on his stomach with a groan and sat up. "Easy, Soldierboy. Don't want to undo all the hard work the Jedi and doctor did, now do you?"

Dren looked over to see Moira Denic. She wore her leather jacket with the off-white button down tied several inches above her navel and her green leather pants. "What happened?"

Moira shook her head. "Well you pissed off a Sith Lord and he threw a lightsaber at you. What did we learn?"

Dren sighed tiredly. "Duck faster?"

Moira chuckled. "Your sergeant brought you some clothes if you're ready to get up. Though I have to say, you look pretty good the way you are now."

Dren looked down to see that, beneath the sheet, he was naked. He chuckled and got up. Quickly he changed into the clothes provided for him, slightly chagrined to see that it was a Republic Army traveling uniform. Moira didn't complain. She stood and stepped over to him. "Hmmm... I think I like it. You know, it is true what they say about men in uniform."

Dren chuckled.

The rest of the voyage was fairly short. The four friends, now hailed as the heroes of the _Esseles_ , spent time together for the most part though Moira and Dren would disappear for anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour at a time and reappear, flushed and with their clothes slightly rumpled. When they all four stepped off the shuttle on Coruscant, Moira hugged and kissed each of them. "Good bye, Jedi. I hope to see you both soon. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to convince you to let me show you a good time."

She winked sultrily at them both, especially at Nedeser, who had remained more chased than his Mando friend. Alias at least flirted back a little. Dren, she laid a blistering kiss on and said, "I'll be seeing you again too, Soldierboy. I'm gonna miss sneaking off with you."

Corso and Jorgan both looked a little miffed at their superiors' antics. Dren looked at the two Jedi. "A pleasure to work with you. Don't take this the wrong way but I hope we never have to do something like that again."

"Agreed" said both the Jedi. They shook hands. As the soldiers and fringers left, Alias asked, "Will we be seeing them again do you think?"

Nedeser sighed and said, "The way the galaxy is heading, without a doubt, brother."

* * *

 **This is the end of my first flashpoint story. I know I took some liberties with the third chapter but it would have been long and tedious without much chance for character development. Please read and review and let me know if you want me to write another one.**

 **Updated 07.01.2016**


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